I trust him, she told herself. Tragar would never hurt me. I trust him.
Her perfect trust finally paid off. At last she felt the last of his mating fist slip within her. Then it began to swell, holding her in place on his cock, locking them together for the long breeding they had ahead of them.
“Oh, Tragar,” she whispered, lifting her head to look him in the eyes. “I just—oh! What was that?”
For something unexpected had just happened. As she felt herself open enough to receive him and the broad head of his cock pressed hard to the mouth of her womb, Emily felt something else—something warm and wet almost like a nubbly little tongue caressing her clit.
Tragar thrust inside her a little, making her moan as the mysterious something tickled her clit again.
“I believe you are referring to my flange. It’s an extra organ attached to the base of the mating fist that all Beast Kindred have. When my shaft is fully seated within you, as it is now, the flange comes up to cup and caress your clit in just the right way. The extra stimulation should help you come again and again.”
“Oh…” Emily bit her lip. “So every time we do this…” She lifted a few inches off his lap and sank down again with a moan. Though he never slipped out of her, the sensation of the head of his cock moving away from the end of her channel and then pressing hard against her again was immediate and intense. As was the answering pleasure in her clit. “Oh!” she gasped, unable to finish her thought.
“Every time I thrust inside you, the flange will stimulate your clit, my Khalla,” Tragar growled. “So tell me—now that we are locked together, are you ready for me to begin breeding you?”
“Yes…Tragar, please yes.” Emily wound her fingers through his long, black hair and pulled him close for a kiss. “God, you feel so good inside me. Please do it—please breed me now!”
“As my Khalla wishes,” he growled. He pulled back and then thrust deep, his thick shaft spreading her wide and piercing her to the core. Emily moaned breathlessly as she felt him bottom out inside her, giving her what her body needed so desperately—and what she wanted as well.
Unable to express her feelings any other way, she pulled him in for another hot kiss which seemed to go on and on as he moved within her. As his thick shaft filled her and the naughty little tongue covering her clit stroked over her sensitive bud, Emily felt the elusive pleasure building inside her.
“Tragar,” she gasped, breaking the kiss. “Tragar please, faster…more. I’m close…so close.”
“As my Khalla wishes,” he growled again. Gripping her hips firmly, he picked up his tempo, thrusting deeply into her and filling her completely with each hard surge of his cock in her pussy. As he did, he ducked his head and captured one of her nipples in his hot mouth. Pulling hard at the sensitive tip, he rolled his hips upward, fucking into her, breeding her exactly as she needed to be bred.
Emily gave a low moan as she felt the pleasure inside her grow to a peak. The feel of his thick shaft inside her and the delicate flange caressing her clit with each stroke was amazing. But when Tragar added the sensation of his hot mouth on her bare breasts, it was simply too much.
She felt her orgasm break over her like a warm, overwhelming wave. Her inner muscles spasmed hard around the thick, invading shaft and then she was coming, coming harder than she ever had before, giving herself completely to the pleasure of her man breeding her.
Tragar gave a low groan and pressed hard inside her. Then Emily felt a hard, hot, pulsing sensation coming from the head of his cock. For a moment she was confused and then she realized what it must be.
Coming, he’s coming inside me! she thought, half delirious with pleasure.
“Yes, my Khalla, I am filling you with my cum, just as I promised,” Tragar’s deep voice answered. But somehow this time she heard him inside her head.
“Tragar?” she gasped uncertainly. He couldn’t have spoken—his mouth was still busy sucking her tender nipples as he filled her up.
“Don’t fear, Emily—it’s just the bond forming between us. We’ll always be together now—never apart,” he promised. “You’ll hear me and I’ll hear you.”
“Like…like this?” she sent tentatively, across their new link.
“Yes, my Khalla—just like this.” And then he crushed her to him and she felt him pouring into her even more—hot jets of his cum bathing the mouth of her womb as he claimed her and bred her, tying them together forever in a love that would never end.
Chapter Thirty-two
Tragar didn’t know how long their lovemaking lasted. For normal Beast Kindred the time usually ran into the hours. But since his lover and mate was a Khalla, it seemed to go even longer. They both lost track of time in the flower filled room as they explored each other’s bodies, making love and breeding over and over until their bond was complete and Emily’s body had been given everything it needed.
“Mmm, that was amazing,” she murmured when he finally pulled out of her and they both collapsed on the lovesuckle covered bed.
“More than amazing,” Tragar sent through their new bond. Having the deep connection to her felt like an incredible gift. After he’d lost his beloved Landra, he had been left with an empty, aching socket. A ragged hole in his soul that he’d thought would never heal. Now he felt whole again and not just whole—full to overflowing with the love he felt coming from his beautiful Khalla.
“I’m glad you feel whole again,” she sent through their link. Hopping up, she went to a viewer in the corner he hadn’t noticed earlier and started examining her new appearance. “But do you really think I’m beautiful? I mean…I’ve changed so much.”
“And yet…not nearly as much as you feared. Come back to bed.”
Emily came back and sat beside him. “I know such a drastic change should feel wrong and upset me but I feel really calm about it. Like I was always meant to look like this.”
“You were.” He stroked her cheek lovingly. “Having your Kit’tara come forward was not as bad as you thought then?”
“No—not at all. She’s…part of me. I thought she would take over completely and blot me out of existence,” Emily admitted.
“I told you that would not happen.”
“Yes, but it was so scary—having someone else inside me. Someone I didn’t really know. Now I understand she was part of me all along. Her name is Emallia, by the way.” She smiled at him. “Or maybe I should say, my name is Emallia,” she added aloud.
“No matter what name you go by, you are my beloved Khalla and I will serve you and love you all the days of my life,” Tragar vowed hoarsely. “Though I still do not see how I can ever hope to deserve you.”
Emily frowned. “Are you kidding me? You saved my life from that awful wasp-thing that was your boss!” She bit her lip. “Hey, how is that going to affect your job? I mean, in most places killing your boss…well, at the very least it would be a firing offense but is it different in the Verrak? I mean, do you take his place or something instead?”
“Actually by killing Tier Shan, I have nullified the contract that was placed on your head and won my freedom from the Verrak.”
“Did you really?” Emily’s eyes widened, glimmering a deep, lovely gold.
“Indeed. See for yourself.” He held out his arm and let her examine it.
“Oh! Your tattoo—it’s gone!”
It was true. All traces of the intricate tracery he had been marked with on his induction to the Verrak had faded completely. From wrist to shoulder, his arm was clean—his narsh was gone.
“Yes.” Tragar nodded with satisfaction. “It is.”
Emily looked at him uncertainly.
“How do you feel about that? Did you want to quit? I mean, this is kind of sudden, isn’t it?”
“It is,” he acknowledged. “But I would say it comes at the perfect time. After all, I cannot be taking life for my livelihood now that I am bonded to a Khalla.” To his surprise, he felt a surge of worry coming from Emily. “What’s wrong?” h
e asked. “Surely you didn’t want to be joined to a member of the Verrak?”
“Well…no. Not exactly.” She frowned. “But I don’t want you to feel like you have to give up your whole career for me, either. I mean, that kind of sacrifice can be hard on a relationship and we’re just getting started here.”
“Emily…Khalla…” He took one of her small, shapely hands in his. “Don’t you understand? I joined the Verrak because I was seeking death. You have given me something to live for. That time is behind me now. From now on, I intend to live only for my future with you.”
“Oh, Tragar…” Tears glimmered in her eyes and she snuggled up to him, pressing her cheek to his chest. “You gave me something to live for too. I was just marking time until I met you—just going through the motions. But…you’re really sure you don’t mind giving up your job?”
He frowned. “Of course not—besides, I have a new job—taking care of you. In addition to being your chosen mate, I will head up your security detail.”
“My security detail? What are you talking about?”
“Well…” Tragar stroked her hair. “I don’t wish to alarm you but Khallas are very public figures here on Rageron. And even though the contract on your head has been nullified, I don’t like the fact that the representative of the Dark Kindred who placed it in the first place called me and lied about removing it.”
“He did?” Emily sat up and put a hand to her chest.
“He did.” Tragar nodded gravely. “And then apparently he called Tier Shan and complained that the contract had not been fulfilled yet. That was what prompted him to come after us in the first place.”
“I wondered what he was shouting about!” Emily shivered. “So you think this Dark Kindred guy is still after me?”
“If he is, he’ll be sorry,” Tragar said grimly. “I told you, I am not leaving your side from now on.”
“Well, that makes me feel a lot safer.” She snuggled up to him again. “Of course, I’d feel even better if I knew why he was after me in the first place.”
“I don’t know either,” Tragar admitted. “I think—” But just at that moment, he got the feeling that someone he didn’t know wanted to speak to him urgently. He frowned. “Wait a moment—I think someone is trying to bespeak me.”
“Bespeak? What’s that?”
“Someone is using a Think-me device to try and send me a mental message.” Tragar shook his head. “It’s considered extremely rude to bespeak someone you don’t know intimately. Normally I would refuse to take the call but in light of everything that has happened lately…”
“You’d better take it,” Emily said anxiously. “Go ahead—I don’t mind.”
Tragar took a deep breath and opened his mind. While mental communication with one’s bonded mate was natural and easy, bespeaking and being bespoken, especially by someone one didn’t know, could be arduous and mentally taxing.
“Who is it?” he sent, acknowledging the nagging feeling inside his brain. “And what do you want?”
“It’s Rone—the Wulven Kindred tracker who came seeking Emily. Forgive me, Brother, I know this is your first bonding sex with your Khalla but it has been nearly twenty-four solar hours and, well, we wanted to make sure you were both all right.”
“We’re fine,” Emily sent back, joining in the session of mental-communication without hesitation. “Tragar and I are, uh, finished. We were just sitting here talking, trying to figure out about the price on my head. But has it really been twenty-four hours? No wonder I’m so hungry!”
“We have both food and answers for you, Khalla, if you wish to come and join us.”
“Yeah, come on out, girlfriend.” It was Kate, Rone’s human mate this time. “They have some kind of little pastry here like a cross between a Hostess pie and a cupcake that’s to die for. And don’t worry about the High Priestess—she’s agreed to leave the two of you alone.”
“I don’t know that I trust her word,” Tragar growled. “What of the Temple Guards?”
“Many of them have quit their posts,” Rone answered. “I think they were shocked that the High Priestess was willing to allow a genuine Khalla die simply because she had disobeyed her word.”
“And there weren’t that many to begin with,” Kate added. “So we can take care of them easily enough if they get decide to get frisky.”
“Enough of this four-way conversation.” Tragar put a hand to his head. “I find it very taxing.”
“We’ll come out to you right away,” Emily sent. “Just let us get dressed. And save me one of those pie-cake things. I’m starving!”
Kate laughed. “Will do.”
* * * * *
“Mmm, you weren’t kidding—these things are amazing.” Emily reached for a second pie-cake as she and Kate were calling them and took a big bite. It had flaky crust, followed by a gooey layer of fruit, then a cakey interior with a kind of creamy custard filling at the center. The combination shouldn’t have worked but it so did. After all the strenuous sex and not having had anything decent to eat since Saskia’s delicious stew, Emily was starving.
She and Tragar and Kate and Rone were sitting around a table in a large communal dining area Emily hadn’t even known was there. The chefs had prepared a veritable banquet of snacks in honor of their new Khalla’s Becoming. Saber and his mate, Kaylee, had gone back to their shuttle to contact the Kindred Mother Ship and let them know that Emily had been found and everything was all right.
Kate grinned and took a bite of her own pastry.
“Better than the Feast of Becoming? Rone told me all about that—he said it was full of special delicacies meant only for Khallas-to-be.”
“The Feast of Becoming?” Emily shivered. “Ugh, you have no idea how awful that was! They served me eyeball soup and macaroni and worms with ground up chocolate heart pudding for dessert!”
“Seriously?” Kate made a face. “That’s disgusting!”
“You should have tasted it,” Emily said. “I would have asked for this stuff instead if I’d only known what to call it.”
“I’m pretty sure this is the Holy Mountains version of junk food,” Kate said, laughing.
She had a soft, lilting laugh that Emily really liked. In fact, she felt like she’d found an instant friend. Maybe it was just that Kate was the first person from Earth she’d seen in ages but she didn’t think so. Kate seemed like what her sister Anna called “a kindred spirit.” Emily felt like she’d known her forever.
“Yeah, I’m sure it is junk food. Nothing that tastes this good can possibly be good for you,” she said, waving her half eaten pie-cake in the air. “And it’s probably going straight to my hips and ass but I’ll worry about that tomorrow.”
“I don’t think you do have to worry about it,” Kate said thoughtfully. “I mean, you’re Kindred, right? Fully Khalla and all that. And if you’re like any of the other Kindred I’ve seen, you’ve probably got a pretty great metabolism going. You might be able to eat anything you want from here on out.”
“You think so?” Emily was stunned. “Oh my God, I hope you’re right! I know I’ve uh, changed a lot but I never thought that would be one of the side effects.” She’d been in and out of Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig and every other weight loss program her whole life. The thought of that endless struggle being finally behind her was positively exhilarating.
“I’ll say you’ve changed,” Kate remarked. “You don’t look a thing like the way Thrace envisioned you.”
Tragar frowned. “Thrace? Who is this Thrace? And why is he having visions of my mate?”
“He’s the Havoc that Two, the Dark Kindred who wanted Emily killed, showed his vision to,” Rone clarified.
“What? He knows the bastard who put a contract on my female’s life?” Tragar was positively scowling now. “How does he dare to—?”
“Simmer down, big boy,” Kate said. “Thrace is a good guy—he was really worried about Emily. Worried enough to let me go digging around in his head even though
he really didn’t want to.”
“Also, he’s happily bonded to a female named Trin who has Earth DNA,” Rone put in. “So he has absolutely no interest in Emily other than her wellbeing.”
“Well…” Tragar subsided, his scowl fading a bit. “All right. But what is this vision you spoke of? Is that what caused Two to put a contract on Emily’s head in the first place?”
“Yes, it is.” Kate nodded. “According to Thrace, Two had a being called a Lud’om do a Seeing for him. In it, he saw that Thrace and Trin were going to have a child that would be the father of a new race of Kindred with Havoc and human DNA mixed in. They’ll be stronger, longer lived, and even more closely bonded to their females than any other race of Kindred.”
“So?” Emily shook her head, confused. “What does that have to do with me?”
“Well, you are going to bear the mother of this race,” Rone said mildly. “You and Tragar, apparently.”
“But…” Emily’s heart leapt. “But I thought that Khallas couldn’t have children. That was what Lit’aal and Turra told me anyway.”
Kate shrugged. “I don’t know about that but I do know that Lud’oms never have a false vision. Anyway, Two believed him—enough that he wanted to wipe you out before the new race of Kindred could even get started.”
“But why would he want such a thing?” Emily objected. “I mean, didn’t you say he’s Kindred himself?”
“Dark Kindred,” Rone corrected. “They had a whole other society ruled by a bunch of thinking machines called The Collective. I believe some of the Kindred from the Mother Ship had a hand in destroying them and freeing Z4, the Dark Kindred world, from their iron rule.”
“Well it sounds like they did the Dark Kindred a favor, then,” Emily protested. “What is Two so mad about?”
“I think he was pretty high up in the Dark Kindred society—maybe even directly linked to the Collective itself,” Rone said. “He must have felt that the Kindred ruined his home world and his race and he wanted to bring them down in retaliation. What better way than by ruining their future before it even got started?”